BASEBALL EARNS FIFTH SEED IN UPCOMING NE-10 TOURNAMENT
PLEASANTVILLE, NY - The Pace University baseball team (30-21, 18-12), ranked third in the latest NCAA Division II Northeast Regional Ranking, will open the Northeast-10 Conference Tournament on the road as the fifth seed. The Setters will travel to Lowell, MA tomorrow, Wednesday, May 7th, as Pace will take on the fourth seed University of Massachusetts - Lowell (26-23, 18-12) in a single elimination game. First pitch is scheduled for 4:00 p.m.
The Setters and River Hawks finished the season with identical 18-12 records in conference play, but UMass - Lowell earned the fourth seed due to their 2-1 record during the regular season against Pace.
Bryant University (RI) received the number one overall seed winning the NE-10 regular season with a 25-5 record in the conference. Southern Connecticut State University clinched the second seed with a 23-6 record in NE-10 play. Franklin Pierce University (NH) (35-12, 20-10) and Bentley College (MA) (22-24, 17-13) round out the competitors as the third and sixth seeds, respectively.
As the top two seeds, Bryant and Southern Connecticut receive a first round bye, while Franklin Pierce will play host to Bentley on Wednesday in a single elimination game.
The tournament then shifts to a double elimination format, hosted by Franklin Pierce, Friday-Sunday, May 9-11th. The winner of #3 Franklin Pierce/#6 Bentley will take on #2 Southern Connecticut on Friday at 4:00 pm, while the winner of #4UMass Lowell/#5 Pace will take on #1 Bryant at 7:00 pm on Friday.
This will mark Pace's second straight appearance in the NE-10 Baseball Tournament after joining the conference in 2005. Prior to 2005, Pace was a Division I independent in baseball from 1986-2004. The 30 wins on the season is the third straight 30-win season for Pace and fourth overall.
Pacing the Setters offense this season has been senior Jack Cawley (Bronx, NY/Iona Prep), who has started in all 51 games this season for Pace and leads the team in 11 offensive categories including, batting average (.350), hits (69), RBI (40), runs scored (38), home runs (6) and stolen bases (20).
On the mound, senior Dustin Corbett
(Vestal, NY/Vestal) has been a workhorse
for Pace posting a 6-3 record with a 1.31 ERA in 75.2 innings
pitched, while striking out 69 batters on the year and holding
hitters to a .177 batting average. Corbett has made 11 appearances
(all starts) with two complete games and a one shutout. Sophomore
MacKenzie King (Blairstown, NJ/North Warren
Regional) has been an innings eater coming out of the pen,
posting a 3-3 record and three saves, with a 1.91 ERA in 19
appearances, two starts. In 47.0 innings of action on the year,
King has struck out 74 batters and is holding opposing hitters to a
.165 batting average.